Tao of the Day

Chapter Thirty-Nine

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:52 +0000

About the men of old that had reached perfection
We know that they felt one with the whole creation
That they saw the earth not as chaos but as a unity
That they felt like gods and spiritual beings
That emptiness was no longer empty, but filled
And they saw that the whole creation was inspired
Thanks to their wholeness the world returned to its original order
For one who doesn’t see clearly, the creation is splintered
For one who places oneself outside nature, the earth is chaos
One who doesn’t experience oneself as divine anymore, feels powerless
One who does not experience one’s perfection anymore, feels empty
People who deny their true nature, go to rack and ruin
Therefore they say:
Humility is the source of truthfulness
Smallness the source of grandeur
One who feels elevated over ones fellow men
Isn’t right, is unworthy and small
After all, they climbed up high over other people’s backs
Therefore their richness is poverty
And their gold just tinsel

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Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Eight

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:56 +0000

True virtues are not from this world,
Therefore they are true virtues
The so-called “virtues” in this world
Serve only self-interest
Therefore those are not true virtues
One who only serves the general interest, is truthfully adequate
One who is called charitable in this world,
Expects thankfulness in return
One who is called honest in this world,
Has a hidden agenda
Those who have been adapted to this world
Demand that others do the same
And if not they threaten you and get angry
Therefore, when people stray from the straight and simple road
Then they start to act virtuously, but they are not virtuous
They pretend to be honest, but they are not fair
They act decently, but they are not decent
Civilization is just a thin crust across unfaithfulness and dishonesty
It is also the source of disorder and chaos
A wise man never hides behind a mask
He trusts what’s inside of him, not in appearances
Therefore he rejects appearance and embraces the essence

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Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Seven

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:28:52 +0000

The Eternal Creating does nothing
And yet it does everything
If leaders would give in to it
The aspect of the world would change of itself
But since people have so much to wish for
Only I can be an example
The example of true simplicity
And when the people decide to follow me
The whole world will be in peace

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Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Six

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:28:15 +0000

Only what’s stretched out can be pulled together
Only what’s fortified can be weakened
Only what’s increased can be decreased
Only one who has, can lose
That must be clear
Soft overcomes hard
Weak overcomes strong
Fishes belong in water
Weapons have to be destroyed

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Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Five

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:27:27 +0000

For one who beholds the perfect arrangement of things
Everything falls in its rightful place
Nothing can harm him, and rest and peace will fall to him
Along the way there are travellers who yield music and feasts
Because the road to self-knowledge is acrid and unpleasant
Not pleasant to face
Painful to hear
But giving an inexhaustible strength

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Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Four

dr.arcane@gmail.com (Brian Schell) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:27:04 +0000

That which makes everything exist, is present everywhere
It spreads itself throughout the entire Creation
Everything owes its existence to It, everything to its own nature
It gives everything for nothing
It cherishes and guards everything and everyone, but expects nothing in return
Because It does not wish for anything, It seems to be important
It makes everything appear and disappear again
But Itself is eternal
Therefore the one who is wise is modest
And because he is modest,
His actions are grand

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Chapter Thirty-Four